Cozy Beef Autumnal Stew with Creamy Cauliflower Mash

I’m shocked to say that I think this might be one of the only stews on this entire blog. When I realized this, I was shook! I grew up eating stews of all kinds because my mother believed in the power of warm food on a cold day. It can turn your mood completely around and feel like you just ate a huge hug.

In film school I was known—and yes, I say this braggingly–to always have the best food on my sets. I would approach local restaurants and ask for a donation, i.e., meals. And they would happily cater our shoots because we were poor college students of the arts and they loved what we created. Panera was one of those places that donated. And on one of the coldest days in October, we had their broccoli and cheddar soup with sandwiches and bread and salads; it transformed everyone’s mood. It was magical to see what the power of a good meal could do for people working hard.

I’m super happy to be teaming up with Panera for this post to speak about their new six-episode video series called Food Interrupted. Each episode follows leaders in the food world as they meet everyday heroes who have dedicated their lives to changing America’s food system. The fifth episode, Meat Interrupted, follows two chefs learning and showing ways to humanely raise animals. They speak about the differences between grass-fed and grain-fed, And the ways cows should live out their lives in fields of grass. It’s a fun watch, here’s a link!

I admittedly don’t eat an enormous amount of meat. I love vegetables (and cake) but when I do eat meat, I try and eat responsibly-raised meat. It’s not always easy for everyone due to access and budget, I totally understand this. However, Panera is committed to using responsibly-sourced, antibiotic free meat in their establishments and I think that’s really awesome.

Inspired by this episode, I went to my meat counter, and purchased some antibiotic free, organic beef stew meat. This cut is famously economical, but boy is it tough if you just sear it and eat it. Braising is definitely the move. I brought out my new love (The Instant Pot) but have included some directions for a Dutch oven, too.

I borrowed some flavors from my favorite dish growing up, lomo saltado. This has potatoes, a bit of ginger and soy sauce. All of these add a nice savoriness to the stew. And the cubes of delicata squash add such a nice sweetness to the dish. I served it over the creamiest cauliflower puree that kept the dish feeling light and delicious.

Creamy Cauliflower Puree:

Directions

For Instant Pot instructions:

Sprinkle the cubed up stew meat with salt on both sides. Next, add a bit of flour to a shallow plate and dip each piece of meat into the flour, dusting off any excess.

Add a few tablespoons of oil to the bottom of the pan. Turn to the sauté function. When hot, add the pieces of meat, in batches, until browned on each side, about 2 minutes per side. Remove and repeat until you’ve worked through the meat. This took me about 15 minutes.

Add an additional teaspoon or two of oil, if needed. Next, add the onion, tomato paste, cumin, paprika, coriander, dried oregano and a few pinches of salt. Mix together until onions are slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Mix in the garlic and then pour in the soy sauce and using a spoon, scrape the bottom of the pan, getting up any bits.

Pour in the beef broth and add the reserved cubes of stew meat. Cover the Instant Pot with its lid. Use the manual setting and put to 15 minutes. Allow to come to pressure and cook for 15 minutes. When it’s done, use the quick release for pressure and carefully remove the lid. Give the broth a taste (be careful it’ll be hot!) and add any salt if needed. I added about 1/2 teaspoon. Add the delicata squash and potatoes. Place the lid on top and set Instant Pot to 10 minutes. When done, use quick release and serve over cauliflower mash.

For Pot Instructions:

Sprinkle the cubed up stew meat with salt on both sides. Next, add a bit of flour to a shallow plate and dip each piece of meat into the flour, dusting off any excess.

Place a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add a few tablespoons of oil to the bottom of the pan. When hot, add the pieces of meat, in batches, until browned on each side, about 2 minutes per side. Remove and repeat until you’ve worked through the meat. This took me about 15 minutes.

Add an additional teaspoon or two of oil, if needed. Next, add the onion, tomato paste, cumin, paprika, coriander, dried oregano and a few pinches of salt. Mix together until onions are slightly softened, about 5 to 7 minutes. Mix in the garlic and then pour in the soy sauce and using a spoon, scrape the bottom of the pan, getting up any bits.

Pour in the beef broth and add the meat back to the pot. Bring the pot to a gentle boil and then immediately bring the heat down to medium-low. Cover the pot and simmer for about 2 to 3 hours, adding a bit more broth if needed. At the 2 hour mark, add the delicata squash and potatoes and cook for an additional 1 hour, or until the potatoes are tender. Give the sauce a taste (it'll be hot) and add any additional salt, if needed. Serve over cauliflower mash.

To Make the Creamy Cauliflower Mash:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drop in the cauliflower florets and cook until very tender, about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain and run the cauliflower under cold water. To a high-powered blender (such as a Vitamix), add the ghee and then top with the cauliflower. Pulse until mostly smooth, about 1 minute, stopping and scraping down the sides as needed. Pulse on high for about 2 minutes, until silky smooth, adding a teaspoon or two of ghee, if needed. Add salt and pepper to taste and blend once more until combined.

When the pot roast is ready, pour the cauliflower in a pot and warm over low heat. Divide between bowls and top with a spoonful of the stew. Garnish with microgreens or minced Italian parsley.

(This post is sponsored by Panera. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that keep A Cozy Kitchen cozy.)

I don’t want to be that person that changes up the recipe and still comments, but I am that person right now…because this was still SO GOOD. We got an Instant Pot two days ago and were dying to try it out. I couldn’t find a delicata squash to save my life, so we subbed sweet potato. We also don’t have a high powered blender, but instead had to use our way too old regular blender…I was pleasantly surprised that the cauliflower mash turned out yummy despite that! One last minor thing–the end of the recipe calls for lime, cilantro and green onion. Unfortunately it’s not in the ingredients list and I didn’t read that far into the recipe so we went without it..but again, still amazing. It’s a perfectly spiced dish, and a wonderful way to introduce us to our new Instant Pot. Thank you Adrianna!

I made this yesterday for a dinner party and it was incredible! The flavours were so good and everyone went back for seconds! I added carrots and next time I make it I will add parsnips! I served it over mashed potatoes but I look forward to trying the cauliflower mash! Thank you so much for another incredible recipe!